


Working over Christmas

by serendipitous_rambles



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, Gen, I tried to write about something other than mileven for once, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Friendship, Robin is cool but when it comes to girls she's hopeless, Secret Santa Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28225701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipitous_rambles/pseuds/serendipitous_rambles
Summary: Robin and Steve work in the video store over Christmas, but a new customer particularly catches Robin's eye and she doesn't know what to do.
Relationships: Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Working over Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rosekings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosekings/gifts).



> For Anna as part of our Secret Santa gift exchange ❤️
> 
> Merry Christmas xx 💖

_Rockin' around, the Christmas tree…_

"I swear if I hear this song one more goddamn time-" Robin closed her eyes as she rested her chin on her hand, trying to block out the sound of the Christmas tape that keeps playing over and over and over again on loop in the store. It's barely been a few months working at the video store but already she could feel her soul draining. It didn't help that she was trapped behind the counter with nothing to distract her from the mind numbing music. The place was practically deserted.

"Ooh, someone's a grumpy elf this morning." The backroom door burst open, followed by Steve struggling through with a box of tapes.

"Shut up dingus."

"I don't actually mind you calling me that anymore. It's like a cool nickname between us."

"I've lost my power?" Robin pretended to be wounded. "Damn it. This place is ruining me."

"You were the one," Steve said, trying to hide the fact he was struggling for breath moving this box through the store, "who got us these jobs in the first place."

Robin hopped on to the counter, swinging her feet over the side so she could follow Steve. "Because in _theory_ it sounded cool. Being around movies all day? Sounds like a dream. But the types of people that come in here make me want to never watch a movie ever again."

She involuntarily shuddered thinking about the numerous times creepy men in sweat stained t-shirts had tried to flirt with her or worse tried to quiz her on any tiny detail in the movie they were renting if she made the terrible mistake of letting them know she'd seen it. It was just nonsense customer service talk, but they took it on themselves as a mission to judge her. 

Steve gave up moving the box, placing it on the floor. "Yeah, those guys are dicks." 

"You were supposed to bring in the hot girls. What happened?" 

"Well I uh…" he couldn't meet her eyes, "I've been off my game lately…"

"It's been longer than _lately_ buddy." She jumped off the counter to approach him. "What's the score again?"

"I'm not playing this game." 

"And _I'm_ not paying you to stand around all day." Keith came out the back room, hand shoved in a bag of cheetos.

Robin thought about making a comment how Keith wasn't actually the one paying them, the owner was. But as much as she hated it, she needed this job so she bit her tongue.

"Oh." He glanced up, "Look who's under the mistletoe."

Robin and Steve looked up to see the two leaves hanging from the ceiling. She had a sneaking suspicion that Keith was the sicko who hung it. 

"Gross." They said in unison, Robin stepping away from Steve.

"Shame. Maybe you'll think differently if someone else was under it." Keith smiled creepily and Robin could feel her stomach churning as he returned to his dark cave in the backroom.

She flipped him off behind his back. This was so not worth a few dollars an hour.

"How many times do I have to tell him we're not dating." Steve rolled his eyes, lifting the heavy box of VHS tapes. "You're _so_ not my type."

"Literally."

"I mean, could he _be_ more of a creep?" Steve shook his head. "And he calls _me_ the douchebag?"

Steve hauled the tapes to begin setting up the holiday display featuring _Gremlins_ \- a movie he still hasn't seen. Robin made it her mission during weekends to force Steve to watch some of the classics. The job might suck but that is not the movies' fault.

She hopped back over the counter, putting one foot up to draw on her new converses that were far too clean after her old ones got pretty wrecked in recent events. Just then, the bell rang signalling a new customer. She was about to ring off the standard "Hi welcome to Family Video" speech when her voice died in her throat.

The prettiest girl she's ever seen just walked in. 

Robin's hand froze momentarily in the middle of writing on her shoe, before she bolted upright. She ran a hand through her hair and cursed under her breath because why was she acting like this? She's not Steve!

Robin cleared her throat before asking, "Hi welcome to Family Video. Is there anything you're looking for today?" _Perhaps a girlfriend?_

"Just browsing." She smiled, and Robin felt butterflies in her stomach. Seriously what was wrong with her? Normally she is so cool but this girl _smiles_ and has her blushing like some child.

Robin gave her a thumbs up - _a thumbs up? -_ and once the girl was out of sight within the racks she banged her head on the counter. _Dork dork dork dork-_

"Actually I- oh." Robin lifted her head to see the girl had in fact changed her mind about assistance. "Are you ok?"

Robin smoothed her hair out and smiled, "Yep. I was just... testing the…" her voice trailed out until it was inaudible. "You were looking for something?" She tried to move on from the unexplainable behaviour as quickly as possible.

"Yeah I was wondering what Christmas movies you recommend?" 

"Oh Gremlins for sure." 

The girl smiled again, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Ok, I'll check it out."

Robin smiled to herself after the girl had left to find the movie. Maybe this job didn't suck so bad. A few moments later she heard the sound of the girl laughing, and it was a wonderful sound. But her heart sunk when she realised _why_ she was laughing. Gremlins? She'd sent that girl straight to Steve stacking the shelves. Of course he was flirting and of course she's flirting back. Just like that her dreams had been shattered. Not that they were realistic, of course there's no one else like her in Indiana. 

"I hope your recommendation is good." The girl said when she finally came up to the counter to rent the movie. 

"Yeah." Robin saw the smile on her face, the effects of Steve no doubt. Figures that _now_ would be when he gets his game back. "Thanks for shopping at family video. Have a good day."

The girl seemed slightly taken aback by the sudden change in Robin's demeanor, who spoke now in a monotone voice. "Oh well...you too."

The bell rang again to signal the girl's departure, and Robin hid her face in her hands in defeat. How many more months was it until graduation?

* * *

Robin was in charge of stocking shelves when she heard the bell go for the first time in a while that day. And to her delight it was the girl from yesterday. 

She heard her go up and talk to Steve at the counter, so she focused instead on the sound of the vhs cases clinking against the metal shelf as she put them in place. 

"Excuse me?" Robin was so far in her own mind she hadn't noticed the girl had finished talking to Steve and was now talking instead to _her._ "You're recommendation was so good yesterday I wondered if you had another one? The guy over there is…" she looked over her shoulder at Steve who now was playing with the price sticker machine, "...well he wasn't very helpful. Has he ever _seen_ a movie?"

"Not any worth seeing." She rolled her eyes.

It took a moment before Robin registered the girl was still waiting for a recommendation. "Oh right. A movie. Uh…" she moved through the shelves, the girl following behind closely.

"Ah. This one's a classic." Robin handed her a copy of _It's a wonderful life._

"Thanks. I put my full faith in you." She waved as she turned around to head up to the counter, a skip in her step.

After the girl had left Robin went up to the counter to Steve.

"Wasn't that the girl from yesterday?" He said, moving back so Robin could sit on the counter. "She seems cool."

"Yeah. Too cool for you though."

He laughed, "Of course you'd say that. You know, she asked where you were when you weren't at the counter."

Robin looked down at her feet as she swung them back and forth. "Sure."

"No she did. I apparently wasn't helpful enough when she asked what Christmas movies I recommend."

"You do suck at knowing movies." Robin laughed, trying to hide the glee running through her right now. 

"This is only a temporary job." 

"Isn't that what you said about Scoops?" 

"And that _was_ only temporary." He tapped the side of his head as if that meant anything.

The bell rang again and in burst that Henderson kid Steve was always hanging out with. Robin did not want to deal with that so she left them to it while she hid in the back rewinding tapes, her own mind rewinding to that girl.

* * *

Everyday that week the girl came in requesting a new movie. Robin eventually ran out of Christmas movies but the girl didn't care, she seemed genuinely interested in whatever movie Robin showed her. 

She tried to tell herself the girl was only coming in to see Steve, but something inside her was saying that was a lie. Whenever she came in she was pleasant to Steve, and he did make her laugh, but there was something different about how she interacted with Robin that just felt like something more was happening. 

She'd never had too many friends that were girls so she didn't know if this was flirting or just how friends are. 

It was Christmas Eve and Robin was less than thrilled to be working. No one was even coming in. They'd had about 5 customers the whole day. Steve had won the rock-paper-scissors argument of who got to leave early (the  _ only  _ time he ever wins anything), meaning Robin was left alone. 

She kept looking up hopefully every time someone walked past, just in case it was the girl. Robin didn't even know her name but she couldn't stop thinking about her. The store was closing soon and she had still yet to turn up. Robin was beginning to lose hope.

But just when she was about to give up, the bell rang. The girl looked around and her eyes lit up to see Robin standing there. 

"I was worried you wouldn't be in today." The girl said, rummaging through a backpack as she approached. "I thought I should get you something after all your help."

Robin was speechless. "I was just doing my job." She laughed nervously, but the girl handed her a medium sized wrapped box. "But I...I don't even know your name."

"Edith." She saw the look on Robin's face, "I know, it's a grandma name."

"No, I think it's cool. I'm Robin."

"I know." She pointed to the name tag Robin was wearing. "Oh yeah... right."

Edith smiled, nodding towards the box. "Open it."

Robin took it to the counter and unwrapped it. Inside was a small projector. 

"You showed me some of your favourite movies but I thought we could watch them together. I'm sorry is this too forward?"

Robin shook her head quickly, "No, no. I'm just... speechless."

"I kept coming in because I wanted to get to know you. I wanted to get to know the cool movie girl. Your friend is...nice. But he's...uh...not my type."

Once again Robin was rendered speechless. It seems like this girl was the only one who seemed to manage it.

Robin closed up the store while Edith turned off all the lights except for the multi coloured Christmas lights hanging all over the store. The projector was set up against the wall while they both sat on the floor, leaning back against the counter as they watched the movie. At some point, Robin felt Edith's hand slowly touch hers. She saw a smile creep across the other girl's face as they sat hand, but neither were able to focus properly on the movie anymore.

Maybe working over Christmas wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
